HSE5 - Our Identity & Relationship in Christ - The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

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Our Identity & Relationship in Christ – The Heart of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola with Fr. Anthony Wieck S.J.

Fr. Anthony Wieck unpacks the “principle and foundation” that grounds Ignatian spirituality. The Spiritual Exercises, he explains, are five forms of prayer—examination, meditation, contemplation, vocal, and mental—that dispose the soul to let go of false attachments and discover God’s will. At the core is the truth that we are created by God with a purpose: to praise, reverence, and serve Him. This insight shifts the focus away from self-invention and self-fulfillment toward God as the center of our existence. Like clay in the hands of the divine potter, we are continually being shaped and sustained by God’s love.

Praise, reverence, and service form a dynamic path of relationship with God. Praise begins in joy at the gift of life, reverence acknowledges God’s otherness that makes true love possible, and service embodies love through self-giving. Identity is not found in what we achieve or how others see us, but in being God’s children, loved and formed in Christ. Focusing on the heart of Jesus rather than our failures brings freedom and joy, allowing us to live in mercy and draw others into that same relationship. We are called to pray daily for the grace to reorient life toward God’s purpose of praising, reverencing, and serving Him.

Discerning Hearts Catholic Reflection Questions:

How do I recognize that my life is created and sustained by God each day, rather than something I create on my own?
In what ways am I still clinging to attachments that prevent me from freely seeking God’s will?
How can I practice praise more consciously, rejoicing in the gift of life and God’s presence today?
Do I approach God with reverence, remembering He is wholly other, and letting that awareness deepen my love for Him?
Where in my daily life is God inviting me to serve with joy, even in small and hidden ways?
How can I let Christ’s Sacred Heart reorient my focus from my sins and weaknesses toward His mercy and love?
What steps can I take to root my identity in being God’s beloved child rather than in achievements or others’ opinions?
How might I allow myself to be “clay in the potter’s hands,” surrendering to God’s ongoing work of shaping me?
In what concrete ways can I love my neighbor with the love of Christ that I have first received?
Am I willing to pray daily for the grace to praise, reverence, and serve God as the principle and foundation of my life?

Fr. Anthony Wieck is a Jesuit priest of the Central & Southern province. Sixth of nine children, raised on a farm in Oregon, Fr. Anthony began religious life in 1994, spending his first five years of formation in Rome, Italy, studying at the Casa Balthasar and the Gregorian. The former was under the watchful patronage of Pope Benedict XVI (then-Card. Joseph Ratzinger). Fr. Anthony currently acts as retreat master at White House Jesuit Retreat in St. Louis, Missouri. He also offers spiritual direction at the St. Louis diocesan seminary for 25 future priests there.